Respect The Process

Filmmakers Francis Agyapong and his frequent filmmaking collaborator DP Adisa Duke drop by to inspire us to make stuff on a regular basis.  Francis is a Brooklyn-born filmmaker that's done stints creating video content at places like NYMAG, PopSci, Hearst Digital and most recently The New York Times. Check out an interesting article Francis wrote for NoFilmSchool and a fun spoof I posted at www.jo...

Just my thoughts on how to handle 16:9 vs 9:16 and that pesky 1:1 Instagram ratio. It's a brisk 15 minutes of just me babbling. Love to hear your thoughts.  thanks, Jordan Commercial Directing Voodoo is still just $10 on Amazon. 100% 5 Star reviews.

German-born Filmmaker Marc Schölermann started his directing career at the age of 13 shooting his own Super-8 movies in the basement of their family home. After graduation he pursued a career in film production, working his way up from location manager to assistant director on various national and international feature films, among them the James Bond movie "Tomorrow Never Dies". Always envisionin...

Filmmaker Ben Dolphin, a majorly talented Director and Cinematographer, always stays on the cutting edge of filmmaking technology. He shares his transition from choreography to gaffing to shooting and beyond. His specialty is capturing wonderful moments from smiles to liquids of any viscosity. You'll love Ben's story that he shares so openly. Check out  https://bendolphinproductions.com/  for his...

Filmmaker Paulina Lagudi wrote and directed "Mail Order Monster" - a sweet, rare gem of an indie for the whole family. Oh, she produced it as well. Paulina and her Director of Photography Cooper tell us how they made the movie a reality. From casting to finding distribution, this episode is a crash course on getting your indie film made and released. "Mail Order Monster" is on iTunes and streaming...

Director Amir Farhang  started his professional career as a writer and creative director for top agencies such as BBH, CP+B, 180, and W+K  working for major brands such as adidas, Johnnie Walker, Burger King, Sony, Coca-Cola, Google, Nike, Brand Jordan, Volkswagen and Acura.  His first ad wasn't even an ad—it was a TV show for Axe and MTV called Gamekillers which enjoyed a two-year run. Following...

Director Erica Eng won awards early on in her career, yet chose to still work her way through the ranks. Recently, Erica she was one of six fellows handpicked out of 400 applicants to participate in the Commercial Directors Diversity Program (CDDP). Through the program, Erica created a "Homeboy Industries" PSA starring the Emmy-nominated actor, Richard Cabral. She was also chosen for SHOOT Magazin...

The uber-fabulous Meredith Thomas is always working as an actress yet she finds time for her charity work, producing and organizing stellar events. In fact, Meredith arranged everything for the "Disconnected" + "I Am Battle Comic" double feature Friday, November 16th, 2018 at the Van Nuys/Reseda Elks Lodge to benefit Elks' Families in Need, the VA. Free admission for Active Duty Military, Veterans...

While his official title on the Contagious LA website is "Premier of the Cabinet", Jordan Flack is a producer, EP, talent scout, problem solver and all 'round bon vivant. Jordan returns to the show to talk about what has changed in the business. Always great to have him on the show. Thank you, Jordan This episode is an hour of great chat.  Commercial Directing Bootcamp is January 19th, 2019 and yo...

Nia Peeples is well-known for her successful, prolific acting career, so when a mutual friend said she wanted to come on the show, I leaped at the opportunity. Instead of tech talk and behind the scenes stories, we dove immediately into her personal journey, which she openly shared. The result is a deep conversation of self-realization, personal growth and living in the moment.  Nia's new book is...

"The Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons Learned from a Mythical Man" is Filmmaker Tommy Avallone's latest documentary. And Tommy is back to chat how he made the movie and what he indeed learned from everyone's favorite comic genius. Pre-order today on iTunes. Enjoy! Jordan This episode is a whopping hour and 23 minutes of love. Next Bootcamp is January 19th, 2019. Sign ups are happening fast.

Director Todd Heyman is quite prolific, staying busy and in demand despite remaining freelance versus signing with any one particular production shoppe. Todd began his career by developing marketing campaigns for top Hollywood studios. His first film as writer/director was a finalist at the  Tribeca Film Festival, and landed at HBO. From there... well hey just listen to our chat. I've posted the N...

Actor/Model/VO Artist Jimmy Fanzo didn't get his heart transplant just so he could play hipster Santa in my Fiat spots a few Christmas' ago, but it all did happened. Learn Jimmy's journey into the biz and how I knew the moment he walked in the casting session that he was the guy, despite no white hair, no belly and no beard. And we become instant brothers. Check out the Fiat spot at jordanbrady.co...

Jimmy Franzo Actor VO

LA-based director Jens Gehlhaar's spots for Nissan, Square, Skylanders, and Sodastream are just a few examples of his design sensibility and impeccable ability to merge immediacy, timeliness and humor through a variety of different projects. As a creative director, Jens has worked on a broad range of styles and concepts for Coca-Cola and MTV, KCRW, and This American Life, creating perfectly crafte...

Kiran Koshy is both an agency Creative Director and Commercial Director. His story is compelling because like many of us, he followed his bliss into filmmaking. His journey just earned more frequent flyer miles. His voice as a storyteller rings out so loud and clear in his work.  You'll be inspired by what he accomplishes with little money, so be sure and check out the spots at kirankoshy.com or w...

Commercial Director Clay Williams makes the kind of spots I see on tv and salivate over. His humor is sly, subtle and understated even when the premise is crazy. Clay shares his thoughts on filmmaking, working with improvisational actors, crew and more. Once an agency creative at TWBA/Chiat/Day, Clay started directing and never looked back. His collaborative nature is something we should all aspir...

Director Toby Wosskow hit it out the park with his spec spot for BMW and shares his tedious plot that made it work. Not only did BMW run the spot on their site, but the agency hired him to shoot everything under the sun, including the Foot Locker's "House of Hoops x Nike" for the NBA finals this year.  Since our interview, Toby's film "Sides of the Horn" was just picked up by Sir Richard Branson p...

PRETTYBIRD President & Co Founder Kerstin Emhoff is recognized for her successful and enduring relationships with top agencies, clients, artists and managers, and her experience and unique style across various mediums and platforms. Under her leadership, PRETTYBIRD has collected Grammys, Emmys, D&AD Awards, Cannes Lions & Grand Prix, Clio's and MTV Video Music Awards – in addition to being named ...

"Half The Picture" Director Amy Adrion stops by the podcast to talk about her amazing, insightful film. HALF THE PICTURE consists of interviews with high profile women directors including Ava DuVernay, Jill Soloway, Lena Dunham, Catherine Hardwicke and Miranda July, among many others, who discuss their early careers, how they transitioned to studio films or television, how they balance having a de...

I love chatting with innately funny people, and Tal Wagman is one such a person. We met shooting our wildly popular "Built To Amaze" campaign for Toyota via Saacthi. Now Tal has moved his humor mill over to Zambezi working on Vitaminwater and Venmo. We chat about RottenApples , a website database that informs us whether or not a film or show is tied to a person accused of sexual misconduct. It's a...

The Moon Unit is a creative services boutique that helps storytellers develop ideas into words, gorgeous visual treatments, mood boards and pitch decks and more. Katniss and I skyped to cover a lot of ground. After describing a great pitch and treatments, we dive into how a director can best manage her career. Click the links and check them out. Thanks, Jordan Commercial Directing Bootcamp is Augu...

Mr. Marc Kelly 's is a Director, 1st AD and more. When I saw his name role up in the credits of " Blindspotting ," I cheered and had to hear more about this film. Marc takes us behind the scenes with filmmaking tips and tidbits, working with Director Carlos López Estrada , Daveed Diggs, Rafael Casal and the crew. Then we delve into race, inclusion, gentrification, and karaoke. The opens this weeke...

Director Liz Hinlein shares how she has successfully navigated her career making brand films, VR gigs, tons of spots and her feature, "Other People Children." You've seen Liz's Dove Real Beauty starring Shonda Rhimes, I promise. We chat about the commonality in directing these various gigs, staying humble while leading, and the fun in teaching others when we've learned. And because she's also a ta...

Filmmaker Ramaa Mosley directs commercials, documentaries, feature narratives and more. Like myself, she believes we do different jobs for different reasons and creates her own opportunities. You'll love the part of this chat when she explains how originality is overrated. I disagreed but then came around.  Ramaa is also the Executive Creative Director and one of the Founders of  Adolescent Conten...